LolaMumba - Kabbalah

What is Kabbalah? Kabbalah means “reception” in Hebrew. It is not a religion and is not concerned with religion; instead, it is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric characteristic of Rabbinic Judaism, and exists outside the traditional Jewish scriptures. Although codes of Jewish law focus on what it is God

The Star of David

from man, Kabbalah attempts to penetrate deeper into God’s essence itself. Kabbalah is also known to mean, “tradition” however; it is not a compound of personal insights, nor is it a collection of reports of what various sages and saints had to say on the meaning of life and ultimate values.
Kabbalah is considered an ancient wisdom; offering esoteric teachings that expand on the relationship between an eternal and mysterious Creator of The Supreme Light and the mortal and finite universe, which is known as His creation. In addition to defining the nature of the universe and the human being, the nature and purpose of existence, as well as other

Scroll of Esther, containing 28 miniatures of the story of Queen Esther.Vellum, 17th century illuminated in the 15th century Italian style.

questions, Kabbalah also presents methods that assist individuals to understand Kabbalah; in order for them to attain spiritual realization and receive fulfillment in their lives. The foundational work in literature of this discipline or school of thought is known as The Zohar (Book of Splendor or Radiance).
Individuals that follow this discipline or school of thought are referred to as Kabbalists. Kabbalah is said to allow man to control his destiny, and deals with the realm that a human being’s five senses cannot perceive, as it only operates in spiritual notions; this means that things that occur above the material level beyond our perception, in what is known as the upper world.
Kabbalah studies the spiritual construction, also known as the general soul or Adam. This spiritual construction consists of 600,000 parts, each of them that split into a multitude of fragments that are located inside earthly desires.
An important point, which is often lost, is that Kabbalah cannot stand on its own without the entire body of the revealed Torah, as it is an integral part of the Torah. All Kabbalistic work contains quotations from the Bible, the Talmud and the Midrash; in other words, the Bible, Talmud, Midrash and Kabbalah all work together.

Kabbalah is concerned with the technical identities and “locations” of and the relationships between the worlds (planes of reality), the sefirot (divine emanations), and the order in which they evolve from one another and affect one another in the vast chain of being (seder hishtalshelut), the process by which divine energy (or light) devolves from higher spiritual planes to lower ones, eventually to become manifest in this physical plane of existence.

History of Kabbalah: Kabbalah claims a divine authorship, and it is claimed that the truth of Kabbalah was first given to the angels before God created the world. Mankind was then given this truth on three separate occasions through three different men.

Adam: It is said that Adam was the first to receive the teaching through the Archangel Raziel when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden; but because human beings were more interested in the ways of the world than those of God, the truth of Kabbalah was eventually lost.
Abraham: Abraham was an ordinary Bedouin tribesman in Babylon, who discovered the existence of Godliness, a reality outside this world. He was the second to receive the truth of Kabbalah and was supposedly initiated into Kabbalistic mysticism by Melchizedek. He then wrote a book about it called Sefer Yetzira (The Book of Creation). Receiving this truth was part of the covenant that God made with Abraham, but after his descendants became enslaved in Eygpy, Kabbalah was lost once again.
Moses: Moses was the third to receive the truth of Kabbalah when he went to Mount Sinai to meet with God. The first time Moses went up Mount Sinai he received the 10 commandments, the second time he went up Mount Sinai he received the Kabbalah; this is referred to as the inner teaching.

For the most part, Kabbalah was reserved only by a privileged few, and is said to date back to the days of Eden beginning with Adam, coming down from a secluded past as a revelation to elect the righteous people (Tzadikim). Kabbalistic knowledge was believed to be an integral part of the Judaism’s oral law, given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai around the 13th century BCE.

Kabbalah was originally developed within the realm of Jewish thought and was known as a secret wisdom, with its teachings only being revealed and shared with rest of the world towards the end of the 20th century.
Knowledge about the laws of the Universe (Malchut), methods of apprehending the world, and the achievement of the Purpose of Creation were withheld from the religious masses, as it was believed mankind was not mature enough to sufficiently accept this wisdom and use it correctly. Foreign conquests were another reason why the Jewish spiritual leadership of the time (the Sanhedrin) decided to hide this knowledge and make it secret, for he feared that it might be misused if it fell into the wrong hands.

Historical Timeline:

Abraham: 4,000 years ago, he was an ordinary Bedouin tribesman in Babylon, who discovered the existence of Godliness, a reality outside this world. He was the second to receive the truth of Kabbalah and was supposedly initiated into Kabbalistic mysticism by Melchizedek. He then wrote a book about it called Sefer Yetzira (The Book of Creation).
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai: 70 B.C.E, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai attacked the Romans for their cruelty and was himself condemned to death. Shimon Bar Yochai wrote the Seder HaZohar (Book of Splendor), which forms the basis of Kabbalah.
“The Ari” Rabbi Isaac Luria: 16th Century, he was the most influential, and remarkable, Kabbalist of all time. Named the Ari, or Holy Lion, he is most associated with the renaissance of Kabbalah that occurred in Tsfat, a small town in northern Israel that is considered to be a center of Jewish mysticism. Lurianic Kabbalah (Kabbalat HaAri) is, in large part, an elaboration of certain themes from the later portions of the Zohar and expounds upon those themes that it is generally regarded, by scholars and Kabbalists alike, as its own branch of the Kabbalah
Rabbi Abraham Azulai: 17th Century, in the field of Kabbalah he was greatly influenced by Rabbi Moshe Cordovero. While in Fez he wrote many works. However, when he moved to Eretz Israel, where his works were lost.
Baal Shem Tov: 17th Century, he was the founder of Hasidism, a Kabbalistically-oriented revival movement which eventually swept through Eastern Europe and is still widespread today
Rabbi Moshe Luzzatto: 18th Century, he wrote the magnum composition Messilat Yesharim (The Path of the Just), as well as Derech Hashem (The Way of G-d), Da'at Tevunot (Knowing the Reasons), and more.
Rabbi Nachman of Breslav: 18th Century, he was the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement- a combination of the esoteric secrets of Kabbalah with in-depth Torah scholarship.
Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag: Early 20th Century, known as Baal HaSulam (Owner of the Ladder) for his Sulam (ladder) commentary on The Book of Zohar. Baal HaSulam dedicated his life to interpretations and innovations in the wisdom of Kabbalah, disseminating it in Israel and throughout the world. He developed a unique method to the study of Kabbalah, by which any person can delve into the depth of reality and reveal its roots and purpose of existence.
Rabbi Yehuda Brandwein: Mid 20th Century, he was a foremost disciple of Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam). His vast knowledge of the Lurianic system of Kabbalah enabled him to codify and edit the entire writings of the Ari HaKadosh, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria. He continued with a similar style of translation and commentary of Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag known as Maalot HaSulam (Extension of the Ladder) on those works of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, that Rabbi Ashlag didn’t complete during his lifetime, namely Hashmatot HaZohar and Tikkunei HaZohar

Categories of Kabbalah: Those people who actively study and practice Kabbalah are known as mekubbalim (plural) and the study of Kabbalah is generally divided into three basic areas:
Theoretical: Majority of Kabbalah texts and study deal with theoretical Kabbalah. This area of study deals with the form of the mysteries, teaching the structure of the angelic domains, as well as of the sefirot (aka divine emanations). The theoretical side of Kabbalah deals with the problems presented by many schools of

The ‘72 names of God’ as revealed in Exodus 14: 19,20,21

, and it provides a conceptual structure into which all theological ideas can be fitted. The structure provides knowledge of how both the meditative and practical areas of Kabbalah can be understood. Theoretical Kabbalah provides a description of the spiritual realm.
Meditative: Meditative Kabbalah or Kabbalah Iyunit lies between Theoretical and Practical Kabbalah, with some of the earliest meditative methods bordering on practical Kabbalah. There are few surviving texts concerning Meditative Kabbalah from the Talmudic period. Meditative Kabbalah seeks to explain the nature of God and the nature of existence through theosophical study and meditative techniques. Majority of the Kabbalistic texts belong to this category, and it attempts to explain the process whereby, the created finite realm came into being and is constantly being directed through the will of the one infinite God. This type of Kabbalah analyzes the nature of the relationship between Creation and the divine source from which it emerges; it also explores the complex character of the divine reality, more specifically the paradox of the transcendence of God as as the consequent inability of human thought to grasp Him at all, together with

The kabbalistic tree of life is sub-divided into several levels of the ten primal numbers, namely the Sefirot, which are linked by the 22 paths. These paths correspond to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet

His immanence and active relationship with finite Creation.
There are a variety of meditative techniques that can be used to ponder the Divine and the esoteric foundations of the material world. These include meditations on Hebrew letter arrangements and ways in which the Sefirot harmonize and interact. Some ancient forms of Kabbalistic meditation produced a visionary experience of the supernal chambers and the angelic beings that occupy them; this is known as the Heichalot tradition. These techniques are sometimes used as a means of rectifying imperfections in the soul, rather than producing spiritual knowledge or elevation.
Practical: Practical Kabbalah or Kabbalah Maasit is a branch of the Jewish mystical tradition and was considered to be a kind of white magic, as it deals with the use of techniques that could evoke supernatural powers. Practical Kabbalah involves techniques that are aimed specifically at altering natural states or events and involves the use of divine names and incarnations, amulets, and talismans, as well as chiromancy, physiognomy, andastrology. Practical Kabbalah was reserved for the elite, who could separate its spiritual source from Kelipot (Qliphoth/Qelippot which refers to evil or impure spiritual forces) realms of evil if performed in holiness and purity. This form of Kabbalah remained a minor tradition in Jewish history, as it was considered to be overstepping Judaism’s strong prohibitions of impure magic. Many of the teachings of practical Kabbalah are said to predate and are independent of theoretical Kabbalah. This type of Kabbalah is a collection of all the magical practices that developed in Judaism from the Talmudic period down through the Middle Ages. Practical Kabbalah provides knowledge on how to get into the inner space of the spiritual realm.
The ultimate intention of the practice of Kabbalah is to reveal in this world the divinity manifest in the hidden planes of reality, and to bring the individual- and then all aspects of reality into harmony with the divine purpose for which they were initially created.

Kabbalah, Cabala, or Qabalah? There are many different spellings other than Kabbalah, Cabala or Qabalah. In fact they are at least a total of 24 possible spellings.

Kabbalah, Kabbala, Kaballah, Kabala, Kabballah, Kabalah, Kaballa, Kabballa.
Cabbalah, Cabbala, Caballah, Cabala,, Cabalah, Caballa, Cabballa.
Qabbalah, Qabbala, Qaballah, Qabala, Qabballah, Qabalah, Qaballa, Qabballa.

The only difference in these spellings, although not 100% is that Jewish people spell it with a “K”, Christians tend to use a “C”, while occultists use a “Q”. The use of the final “H” is usually a reflection of pronunciation practices. The final “H” is to induce an emphasis on the final syllable, while its omission leads to middle syllable stress. Doubling the “b”, and/or doubling the “l” is also manifestation of the effort to invoke the correction pronunciation.

Kabbalah Texts

The Book of Formation: According to Jewish tradition, one of the most important books, as well as one of the most ancient texts of Kabbalah is the Book of Formation/The Book of Creation/The Book of Abraham or Sefer Yetzirah, and it suggested that the biblical patriarch Abraham wrote it. It contains only a few pages and is written as a riddle; describing how the “God of Israel” through the “32 Mystical Paths of Wisdom” created the universe; paths that are derived from the 10

Title page of the Zohar, Mantua, 1558. Library of Congress.

on our hands (quantity) plus the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which we use to construct language and thereby describe reality (quality). These paths are also reflected in the 10 sefirot- spheres of energy that are the building blocks of physical reality, but also relate to character traits as well as states of consciousness.
The 32 Mystical Paths of Wisdom:

Ten Numbers (Sefirot the origin for the Sefirot of later Kabbalah)
The Twenty-Two Letters of the Hebrew alphabet
- Three "Mother" Letters
- Seven "Doubles"
- Twelve "Simples"

These 10 spheres are connected by 22 lines or pathways and intersections that allow for a total of 32 states of consciousness, for example, sekhel mufla (mystical consciousness), sekhel maz'hir (radiant consciousness), chochma (expansive subconsciousness), binah (the conscious mind), and sekhel kavua (settled consciousness). The Book of Formation is a guidebook that explains the tools and techniques that are required to enter these states.
These divisions correspond to Jewish concepts such as the 3 letters that make up God’s name (yud, he and vav), the 7 days of the Jewish week, the 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 months of the Hebrew calendar, as well as philosophical ideas such as the 4 elements- fire, water, air, earth, the 7 planets, 10 directions, the 12 zodiacal constellations, various human physical functions and a list of the parts of the human body.
The book describes how God used the 10 sefirot and the 22 Hebrew letters in various combinations, and finally how he revealed this secret to Abraham as a covenant with him. God’s covenant with Abraham is described as follows:

Between the 10 toes of the feet is the "covenant of the circumcision" (mila in Hebrew, which also means "word")
Between the 10 fingers of the hands (also identified with the 10 sephirot) is the "covenant of the tongue" (lashon in Hebrew, which also means "language")- this sentence describes how God “connects” the 22 letters of the Torah to Abrahams tongue, and reveals its secret to Abraham.

Teachings of the Book of Formation: The three letters not only refer to the three “mothers” from which the other letters of the alphabet are formed, but they are also symbolical figures for the three primordial elements- air, water, and fire.
According to the Book of Formation, the first emanation from the spirit of God was the ruach (spirit, air), which then produced water, which in turn formed the genesis of fire. The cosmos consists of three parts, the world, the year (time) and the man; which are combined in such a way that the three primordial elements are contained in each of these three parts. The water formed the earth; heaven was produced from the fire; and then produced the air between heaven and earth. The three seasons of the year also correspond to water, fire in the same way that man consists of a head (fire), torso and the other parts of the body (water). The seven double letters produced the seven planets, the “seven days” and the seven openings in man- two eyes, two ears, two nostrils and one mouth. The twelve “simple” letters created the twelve signs of the zodiac, whose relation to the earth is always simple or stable; and to them belong the twelve months in time.

The Zohar: The Zohar or The Book of Splendor consists of a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five books of Moses), as well as spiritual interpretations and information on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology; it is intended to guide people who have already achieved high spiritual degrees to the root of their souls. The Zohar is comprised of a discussion of the nature of God, the origin and structure of the universe, the nature of souls, redemption, the relationship of Ego to Darkness and “true self” to “The Light of God”, as well as the relationship between the “universal energy” and man.
The Zohar is concerned with the relationships between the unseen forces of the cosmos and their impact on humanity. In essence, the Bible, upon which the Zohar is based, is a cosmic code that the Zohar deciphers and reveals.

A passage from the Zohar reveals the mystery of the Incarnation. The Matronita (Maiden/Virgin) who is also called the Female (Nukva)brings the male Divine Soul who is the Splendour of Carmel and the Divine Man of the Sefirot to earth as the male Tzadik (righteous One). This is the son of the Matronita. All righteous souls are made in the likeness of these two Tzaddikim of the male and female (Yeshuah and Miriam).

Idra Rabbah (Greater Assembly), which was written when Rav Shimon and his son Elazar emerged from the cave and selected eight disciples, who, together with Rav Shimon and his son, formed the "Greater Assembly.” This is where the esoteric, internal teachings of the Torah were revealed for the first time.
Sifra diTzenuta (The Book of the Veiled Mystery), inserted before Parashat Tzaveh, which deals with the structure of the creative process.
Sitrei Torah (Secrets of the Torah) which treats essentially the power of the Divine Names and how they are used to tap the immense power of the cosmos.
Idra Zuta (The Lesser Assembly) which describes those teachings of Rav Shimon bar Yochai that were not revealed during the Greater Assembly but on the day of Rav Shimon’s death.
Ra’aya Mehemna (Faithful Shepherd, the faithful shepherd being Moses), which deals with those cosmic precepts and doctrines not covered in the discourses between Elijah the Prophet and Rav Shimon bar Yochai.
Midrash haNe’elam (Recondite Exposition), which contains a vast collection of scriptural exposition concerning the method of numerology i.e. the permutations and combinations of the letters of the Aleph Beth and the Hebrew numerals.
Zohar Hadash (The New Zohar) an independent commentary along the same lines as the Zohar, and which embraces, in addition to the Torah, the Five Megillot (Scrolls): The Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther;
Tikunei Zohar (Emendations of the Zohar) which addresses the same general subject matter as the Zohar, but also discourses upon teachings specifically directed to the Age of Aquarius
Tosefta (Additions) which adds some fragmentary supplements to the Zohar in which references to the Sefirot are made.

The Zohar contains all the spiritual states that people experience as their sols evolve. At the end of the process, the souls achieve what Kabbalah refers to as “the end of correction,” the highest level of spiritual wholeness.The Zohar was kept hidden for 900 years (between the 2nd and 11th century), since those who possessed its wisdom understood that at the time, people did not need it and would misunderstand its contents. The Zohar appeared only in the 20th century- the century that saw the fiercest outburst of human desires in history.

According to all Kabbalists, The Zohar was written by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, although some scholars suggest that it was written by the 11th century Kabbalist Rabbi Moshe de Leon; this view was contradicted by Rabbi Moshe de Leon who said that the book was indeed written by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Majority of the Zohar is written in what is described as an exalted and eccentric style of Aramaic, which is the main language of the Talmud, and was the original language of large sections of the biblical books of Daniel and Ezra. Aramaic was also the day-to-day language of Israel between 539BC-70 AD, a time period also known as the Second Temple period.

The Zohar was published in a set of twenty-four volumes, and it said that merely scanning the Zohar’s letters and words would have the result of comforting the body, and restoring balance even when once cannot pronounce the words or know their meaning. Kabbalists suggest that through the Zohar, we can raise our consciousness and transcend the crushing weight of earthly concerns. It is said that in the right hands, the Zohar is a tool of immense power, and when correctly perceived it can provide answers to man’s most seemingly baffling problems.

The Torah Kabbalah is often referred to as the “soul” of the Torah, which teaches the deepest insights into the essence of God, God’s interaction with the world, and the purpose of Creation. Kabbalah is sometimes called “the inner Torah” or the “Wisdom of Truth”, and it offers a comprehensive overall structure and plan for the universe, as well as a detailed understanding of the particulars of human lives. Students of Kabbalah are made aware of the personal as well as the collective rectification process and are encouraged to play an active part in it.
The Torah communicates its messages simultaneously on different levels of meaning. In general there are four levels, which are referred to by the Hebrew acronym “PaRDes”

A Torah Scroll

P- Peshat, which stands for the simple level
R- Remez, which stands for the allusion
D- Drush, which stands for homiletic
S- Sod, which stands for the secret

The final two are normally referred to as the mystical dimension. Kabbalah builds on the revealed truth of the Torah, the validity of it’s speculative theories and subjective experiences have been tested and verified by that truth in order to be worthy of consideration, to be viable and acceptable.

The Torah is considered an organism, a complete whole in which every part is most intimately interrelated and interwoven with every other part; in which everything is interdependent upon everything else. It is parallel to, and in complete interaction with the organism of the universe in general and the organism of man in particular. Therefore, no part or particle can be taken in isolation from the others.
The Torah is considered “The Written Law” and consists of the books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh- an acronym for Torah, Nevi’im (Prophets) and Ketuvim and is a record of God reaching out to man, and not vice versa.
The word Torah has the following meanings:

A scroll made from kosher animal parchment, with the entire text of the Five Books of Moses
The word Torah mostly means the text of the Five Books of Moses, written in any format
Torah also means the entire body of Jewish law, including the Written and the Oral Law, which includes the Mishna, the Midrash, and the Talmud

The Torah, whether Written or Oral, is the teaching that directs man how to live; it is concerned with every aspect of human. The commandments of the Torah, its statutes and

A man holding up The Torah

cover the entire range of human and social behavior.
The Torah is also known as the Chumas, Pentateuch or Five Books of Moses.

Bereishith (In the beginning...) (Genesis)
Shemoth (The names...) (Exodus)
Vayiqra (And He called...) (Leviticus)
Bamidbar (In the wilderness...) (Numbers)
Devarim (The words...) (Deuteronomy)

Kethuvim or The Writings

Tehillim (Psalms)
Mishlei (Proverbs)
Iyov (Job)
Shir Ha-Shirim (Song of Songs)
Ruth
Eikhah (Lamentations)
Qoheleth (the author's name)
Esther
Daniel
Ezra & Nechemyah (Nehemiah) (treated as one book)
Divrei Ha-Yamim (The words of the days) (Chronicles)

The Oral Torah or The Talmud:The Oral Torah explains what the scriptures mean and how to interpret them and apply the Laws. Orthodox Jews believe God taught the Oral Torah to Moses, and he taught it to others. This tradition was maintained in oral form until the 2nd century, when the Oral Law was compiled and written down in a document called the Mishnah. Additional commentaries elaborating on the Mishnah were written down in Jerusalem and Babylon, and these are known as the Gemara. The Gemara and the Mishna together are known as the Talmud, and were completed in the 5th century.
The Mishnah is divided into six sections (sedarim), and each seder contains one or more divisions called masekhtot. There are 63 masekhtot in the Mishnah.

The Sages of Judah sharing the Wisdom of the Oral Torah

Below is the division of the Mishnah into sedarim and masekhtot:
Zera'im (Seeds), dealing with agricultural laws: Berakhot, Peah, Demai, Kilayim, Shebiit, Terumot, Maaserot, Maaser Sheni, Challah, Orlah, Bikkurim
Mo'ed (Festival), dealing with Shabbat and festivals: Shabbat, Erubin, Pesachim, Sheqalim, Yoma, Sukkah, Besah, Rosh Hashanah, Taanit, Megillah, Moed Qatan, Hagigah
Nashim (Women), dealing with marriage, divorce and contracts: Yebamot, Ketubot, Nedarim, Nazir, Sotah, Gittin, Qiddushin
Nezikin (Damages), dealing with tort laws and other financial laws: Baba Qamma, Baba Mesia, Baba Batra, Sanhedrin, Makkot, Shabuot, Eduyyot, Avodah Zarah, Avot (also known as Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers), Horayot
Kodashim (Holy Things), dealing with sacrifices and the Temple: Zevachim, Menachot, Chullin, Bekhorot, Arakhin, Temurah, Keritot, Meilah, Tamid, Middot, Qinnim, Toharot (Purities), dealing with laws of ritual purity and impurity, Kelim, Ohalot, Negaim, Parah, Tohorot, Miqvaot, Niddah, Makhshirin, Zabim, Tebul-Yom, Yadayim, Uqsin

Concepts of Kabbalah: In the Kabbalistic system, God is neither matter nor spirit, but is the creator of both. Questions of the Divine nature, prompted Kabbalists to envision two

of God

God Himself, who is ultimately unknowable
The revealed aspect of God, that created the universe, preserves the universe, and interacts with mankind

Kabbalists speak of God as Ein Sof (the infinite, endless, or that which has no limits). In this view, nothing can be said about the essence of God, making this aspect of God impersonal. The second aspect of Divine emanations is partially accessible to human thought. Kabbalists believe that thes two aspects are not contradictory instead complement one another through the mechanism of progressive emanation.
The structure of these Divine emanations have been characterized in various ways

Sefirot which are related Divine attributes
Partzufim which are related to Divine “faces”
Four Worlds of Creation which are related to the descending chain of realms
Azilut, Beriyah, Yitzirah, and Asiyah; the Biblical vision by Ezekiel of the Merkabah which are related to the Divine angelic "Chariot"

Medieval Kabbalists believed that all things are linked to God through emanations, which makes all levels in Creation part of one great, gradually descending chain of being. These alternatives are harmonized in subsequent Kabbalistic systemization. The central symbol of Light (Ohr) is used to describe these Divine emanations.
The Sefirot (singular Sefirah) The word literally means, “counting” but early Kabbalists presented a numer of other etymological possibilities including:

Sefer which means book
Sippur which means story
Sappir which means sapphire, brilliance, luminary
Separ which means boundary
Safra which means scribe

These are the ten emanations and attributes of God with which he continually supports the universe in existence. The description of Divine manifestation through the 10 Sefirot is a defining feature of Medieval Kabbalah, and the concept of a downward flow of Divine Light through the chain of Creation. The central image of Man’s soul is used to describe the Sefirot, and this incorporates masculine and feminine aspects. In the Sefirot, performance of traditional Jewish observances unites the masculine and feminine aspects of supernal Divinity, and brings harmony to Creation.

Ten Sefirot and the
The 10 Sefirot and the 7 Chakras
of Creation: Lurianic cosmology states that the Sefirot corresponds to various levels of creation; meaning that there are ten sefirot in each of the Four worlds, and four worlds within each of the larger four worlds, these also containing ten sefirot which themselves contain ten sefirot, to an infinite number of possibilities. The ten Sefirot are emanated from the Creator for the purpose of creating the universe and are considered revelations of the Creator’s will (ratzon); they should not be understood as ten different “gods” but instead, as ten different ways the one God reveals His will through the Emanations.
The names of the Sefirot are as follows, and are listed in descending order

Keter: supernal crown, representing above-conscious will
Chochmah: the highest potential of thought
Binah: the understanding of the potential
Daat: intellect of knowledge
Chesed: sometimes referred to as Gedolah-greatness and loving-kindness
Gevurah: sometimes referred to as Din-justice or Pachad-fear and severity/strength
Rachamim also known as Tiphereth: Mercy
Netzach: Victory/eternity
Hod: Glory/splendor
Yesod: Foundation
Malkuth: Kingdom

*Keter and Daat are unconscious and conscious dimensions of one principle, conserving 10 forces.

Divine creation through the Ten Sefirot is considered an ethical process, and they represent the different aspects of Morality. Loving-Kindness is a possible moral justification found in Chessed and Gevurah is the Moral Justification of Justice and both are mediated by Mercy, which is Rachamim. However, these pillars of morality become immoral once they become extremes. For example, when Loving-Kindness becomes extreme it can lead to sexual depravity and lack of Justice to the wicked, when Justice becomes extreme, it can lead to torture and the murder of innocents and unfair punishment. Kabbalists believe that righteous humans ascend these ethical qualities of the Ten Sefirot by doing righteous actions. The belief is that if there were no righteous humans, the blessings of God would become completely hidden, and as a result; creation would cease to exist. Human actions are considered to be the foundation (Yesod) of this universe; these actions must accompany the conscious intention of compassion. Compassionate actions are often impossible without faith (emunah), meaning to trust that God always supports compassionate actions even when God seems hidden. It is necessary to compassion towards oneself in order to share compassion towards others. Humans must have this selfish enjoyment of God’s blessings but only in order to empower oneself to assist others, and this is considered a kind of golden mean in Kabbalah.

Kabbalah and Human Desire: Human desires are divided in five stages:

Primary desires – for sex, food
The second stage of development of desire – striving after riches
The third stage of development of desire – craving for power and fame;
The fourth stage of development of desire - thirst for knowledge;
The fifth stage of development of desire - aspiration to spirituality, to the Creator

The need for sex and food are referred to, as animal desires because animals experience them as well. When a man is born, his animal and human desires develop; however man soon realizes that these desires do not satisfy him, as his secret but true aspiration falls outside the limits of this world. This true aspiration or desire is called the desire of spiritual light or man’s soul, and is said to come from above; it is neither given by nature as animal desire, not does it develop under the influence of a society like human desires.

Kabbalah and The Human Soul:
Kabbalah suggests that the human soul has three elements, however, there are also 2 other elements that are discussed in the Zohar and they are the chayyah and yehidah. These other two elements were considered to represent the sublimest levels of intuitive cognition, and to be within the grasp of only a chosen few individuals; they do no enter into the body like the Nefesh, Ru’ach and Neshamah, and it is for this reason that they receive less attention in some sections of the Zohar.

Nefesh: found in all humans, and enters the physical body at birth; this is the source of a human’s physical and psychological nature. Nefesh is the lower part, or “animal part” of the soul,
And Iod-Hei-Vav-Hei Elohim (Binah, the Holy Spirit) formed Adam of the dust of Adamah, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Neshamah); and Adam became a living soul. - Genesis 2: 7
and is linked to the instincts and bodily cravings.
Ru’ach: this is the middle soul, or the “spirit” and contains the moral virtues and the ability to distinguish between good and evil. The middle soul or spirit is not implanted at birth, but can be developed over time. Its development depends on the actions and beliefs of the individual, and is said to only fully exist in people that are spiritually awakened.
Neshamah: This is the higher soul or “super soul”, and separates the man from all other life forms. It is related to the intellect and allows man to enjoy the benefit from the afterlife. This part of the soul is provided at birth and allows one to have some awareness of the existence and presence of God and is not implanted at birth, but can be developed over time. Its development depends on the actions and beliefs of the individual, and is said to only fully exist in people that are spiritually awakened.
Chayyah: The part of the soul that allows one to have awareness of the divine life force itself.
Yehidah: The highest plane of the soul, in which one can achieve the fullest union with God as is possible.

Kabbalistic works also suggest that there are additional, non-permanent states of the soul that people can develop on certain occasions. These extra states of the soul play no part in any afterlife scheme, but are mentioned for completeness:

Ru’ach HaKodesh or the spirit of holiness is a state of the soul that makes prophecy possible, however it is suggested that since the age of classical prophecy passed, no one (outside of Israel) receives the soul of prophecy any longer.
Neshamah Yeseira or the supplemental soul is one that those that are Jewish experience on Shabbat, making it possible for an enhanced spiritual enjoyment of the day, and can be lost and gained depending on one’s observance.
Neshamah Kedosha exists only when one studies and follows Torah, and can be lost and gained depending on one’s study and observance. Neshamah is provided to Jews as the age of maturity (13 for boys and 12 for girls), and is related to the study and fulfillment of the Torah commandments.

Kabbalah is known as the original instruction manual for life and teaches universal principles that apply to peoples of all faiths and all religions, regardless of their ethnicity or nationality. Everyone can study Kabbalah without being forced to think in a particular way, nor will they have to change their current faith or religious beliefs. People that study Kabbalah are considered to be on a spiritual path, and are seeking to reconnect with the Spirit; this is why a person’s nationality, gender or ethnicity does not matter, as the Spirit has no name, nor any other limiting description. It is believed that all people should be able to connect to its wisdom, and that those that study Kabbalah are simply provided with information in the hopes that they will apply it in their lives for the sake of bettering their life.